


I’m so encaptured, got me wrapped up in your touch

by Toomanyfandoms99



Series: Postbellum [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bespin, Canto Bight, Drama, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Naboo - Freeform, Post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Vanqor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 22:11:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20478278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toomanyfandoms99/pseuds/Toomanyfandoms99
Summary: Ezra furrowed his brows, and said, “hey, Sabine.”Sabine removed herself from ‘the zone,’ as Zeb called it, observing the two with a critical eye.  “Oh,” she stepped down from a ladder, a streak of paint dashed across her cheek, “hey, Ezra.  How are things?”Ezra nearly winced at the numbness of the formal greeting.  It lead to a realization that made an icicle pierce through his heart, infecting his veins and making his skin grow cold.He hadn’t meant to distance himself from his family, but due to the Ghost crew’s elusive behavior, that’s exactly what happened.





	I’m so encaptured, got me wrapped up in your touch

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer Reminder: The characters of Rebels will be out of character for the sake of unnecessary drama throughout most of the series.
> 
> The title was taken from the song “Latch” by Sam Smith.

Luke woke up to Ezra pressing kisses along his face.

His nose wrinkled on instinct, squirming away, sinking into the pillow. He hummed in acknowledgment, and Ezra kissed his cheek.

Luke half-smiled, biting back a chuckle. He felt Ezra’s bare torso pressed against his side, and he messily locked an arm around his shoulder.

“Not that I’m complaining,” Luke murmured, Ezra gently lying atop him, their noses brushing, “but what’s going on?”

Ezra’s lips brushed the corner of his mouth, and he smiled into his skin. He placed a kiss there, and mumbled, “there’s a surprise for you.”

Luke splayed his prosthetic hand over Ezra’s buzzcut, running his fingers across black hair. The sheets remained a nuisance between them, and Ezra was stubbornly avoiding Luke’s lips by a centimeter. Ezra’s eyelashes tickled Luke’s cheeks, and he fluttered his eyes open.

“Oh?” Luke prompted, his breath against Ezra’s cheek.

Ezra pulled back slightly, using his elbows as leverage. His gaze immediately went to Luke’s mouth, but their course corrected to his eyes instead.

A wry smile reached Ezra’s lips, a glint in his dark blue eyes. “You’re gonna like it.”

Luke turned his head to the side, shooting Ezra a disapproving look when he saw how early it was in the morning.

Ezra sat up on Luke’s thighs to regain his close attention, forcing Luke to tilt his head high to see him. The sheets pooled at Ezra’s waist, his green kyber crystal necklace making him seem like an otherworldly being, a star that became a meteor that crashed in front of him, glowing and angelic. Ezra’s skin shone gold in the light, his scars lighter and his hair adopting a bronze tint.

“Come on,” Ezra said purposefully, slipping away when all Luke wanted was for him to stay. “Put on some clothes. It’ll be worth it. Promise.”

“It better be,” Luke muttered, scowling as he sat up in bed.

As Luke frowned and searched for clothes, Ezra zipped up an orange-yellow ensemble that he recognized from old holos of a teenage Ezra. 

Luke chose a thin white shirt and loose black pants. He absently slipped on his pilot’s tags, the necklace meant to identify him should he get in another X-wing crash. General Mothma issued them to every pilot recently, and Luke refused for his thoughts to linger on the morbidity of such an action.

The pilot’s tags, which had his name and rank, were pressed against his heart, kept close by at all times, like Ezra with his crystal.

Luke turned around after securing the metal tags, and Ezra held out his arms. “Your chariot awaits.”

Luke blinked twice, comprehending the offer carefully. Ezra probably expected him to deny to be seen carried around the base in such a manner.

Which was why Luke smirked and said, “okay.”

It was Ezra’s turn to blink twice.

Without another second of hesitation, Ezra swept up Luke’s legs, and Luke laughed as he was gathered in Ezra’s arms. Ezra’s hands, respectively, went under Luke’s knees and the small of his back. He regarded Luke, and Luke rested his cheek on Ezra’s chest. Luke tapped into the Force, knowing Ezra was using it to hold him without falling.

Luke arched an eyebrow, curling his flesh hand on Ezra’s opposite shoulder. “Okay there, Ez?”

Ezra’s jaw jumped, and another wave came over Ezra as he shouldered the weight. The stress left his face, and he smiled softly. “Sure am,” he said breezily.

Luke reached up to kiss Ezra’s jawline, and Ezra blushed despite himself.

“One more thing,” Ezra said, walking towards the dresser. A pink sleep mask was on top of it that definitely wasn’t there yesterday. “You need to put that on.”

Luke eyed Ezra. “Leia put you up to this?”

Ezra smirked. “Put it on.”

Luke huffed, reaching over to the dresser and slipping on the mask with his free hand. He laid a cheek against Ezra’s collarbone and muttered, “this better not be a prank.”

“It’s not,” Ezra said smoothly.

“That’s exactly what a prankster would say,” Luke pointed out, Ezra leading him out of their bedroom.

Luke sensed him bank left, and began assessing permutations in his head. “Are we going to the medbay?”

Ezra’s socks made an odd sound against the durasteel floor as he walked. “No.”

“Leia’s room?”

“No.”

“The strategy room?”

“No.”

Luke sighed. “I don’t like this game.”

Ezra’s laughter warmed Luke’s face, and he sensed Ezra’s head tipped incredibly close. “You can keep trying.”

Ezra went right, and Luke thought as he registered several passerby whispering about their scandalous behavior. Luke paid no mind to the stares, and Ezra was concentrating on him so lovingly that he didn’t care either.

Ezra made a sharp left, and another right.

Luke chewed on his bottom lip, then guessed, “the mess hall?”

“Nope,” Ezra replied.

“Mon’s office?”

Ezra snorted. “Absolutely not. Come on. Keep going.”

Luke thought for a moment, and Ezra went right, followed by a short left.

“Oh,” he whispered.

Ezra paused in front of the bay doors, and placed a kiss on his forehead. “There’s my genius,” he murmured fondly.

Luke heard the bay doors open, and Ezra carried him into the base hanger. He walked for quite a long while, indicating exactly where Ezra was taking him. Luke bit back a giddy grin.

Leia’s voice cut through his musings, and Luke was startled he hadn’t sensed her sooner. “The mask looks great on you,” she said, stifling a laugh.

That sobered Luke, and he peeled away the pink sleep mask, scowling at his sister. He used the string as a projectile, the mask flying the short distance between them and landing on Leia’s stomach.

Leia caught it with fast reflexes and snorted out a laugh. “I’ll give you that one. The mask wasn’t really necessary.”

Luke narrowed his gaze.

A glint in her warm brown eyes, Leia said, “you’re not very intimidating, twin bro. You actually look cute.”

“Like a porg,” Han supplied, smiling and stepping beside Leia.

Chewbacca growled off to the side to tell them to stop teasing Luke. Artoo concurred with a beep, Threepio remaining strangely docile.

“Thanks, Chewie,” Luke said, smiling gratefully at the Wookiee. He glanced up at Ezra, absorbed the mirth in his eyes, and said, “you can set me down now.”

“Right!” Ezra grinned sheepishly, releasing his hold on the Force and setting Luke on his feet gracefully.

Leia snickered at the couple, then focused on Luke. “Figure out why you’re here yet?”

Luke beamed, the Force singing around him in a chorus. “Show me my love!”

Ezra clutched his stomach laughing, causing Han and Chewbacca to collapse into fits of their own. 

Leia, who was barely holding it together, directed Luke towards a large tarp covering his X-wing. With bated breath, Luke fisted the tarp, pulling it downwards. The tarp fell in light waves, and Luke gasped once it pooled the ground.

Luke’s eyes were as wide as saucers as he gaped at his X-wing. 

He started forward, hugging the leg in awe. “A new paint job, upgraded thrusters, a better control board.” Luke pressed his cheek against the metal. “I’ve died and gone to the great beyond.”

“We should give him a minute alone,” Han said, backtracking away from the ship. “This looks real personal.”

Luke laughed in pure elation. “I got my love back! This is the best day ever!”

“I think you’re right,” Leia said to Han.

Luke scowled at them. “Be quiet!” He patted the upgraded X-wing’s outer hull. “It’s okay, Bertha. They’re just being mean.”

“Oh kriff,” Leia huffed exasperatedly. “He named his X-wing.”

“Don’t get between the sacred bond,” Han defended, “of man and ship.”

Chewbacca yowled in agreement.

“Why am I marrying you, again?” Leia teased.

“Because you love me,” Han replied, “and I trapped you.”

Luke finally stopped obsessing over his new X-wing once Ezra appeared behind him, cajoling him away from it. Luke reappeared from behind the ship’s nose with Ezra’s hand in his, beaming at Leia. “Thank you, twin sis.”

“It’s more for my sanity than yours,” Leia shot out with a Senatorial smile.

“My evil plan worked,” Luke shot back. “Yes!”

Leia put on her stern face and stuck out a finger. She said sternly, “don’t crash this one, mister.”

Leia’s new ring caught against the light, and he silently grasped her hand. She furrowed her brows, but allowed Luke to spread out her fingers. Luke recognized the metal of Leia’s ring as being from the Falcon’s spare parts. Han must have welded the metal with Artoo’s help.

Luke released her hand without warning and said, “I didn’t know you could be romantic, Han.”

Han inhaled sharply, as if unsure whether to take it as a challenge or as a threat. Luke smiled disarmingly, leaving Han squirming in his boots.

“Well,” he said airily to Leia, “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll actively try not to damage my ship.”

Luke walked past them, Ezra forced to follow or release him. Ezra followed.

As they left the hanger, Ezra felt a familiar Force signature tug on him. He caught sight of the Ghost, and Kanan’s watchful gaze, then Luke lead him away.

————

“Ezra,” Wedge said, “be honest.”

Ezra raised a thick eyebrow at him, the entire Ace Squadron gathered in a circle around them. They were in the hanger playing a game of sabacc, with Luke running late in a meeting with General Mothma.

Wedge asked, “do you use the Force to cheat?”

“No,” Ezra scoffed. “I may have been a little shit earlier in life, but I wouldn’t do that to you.”

Luke’s squadron of eleven ace pilots regarded Ezra skeptically.

Wedge, the commanding officer in the situation, said, “he’s telling the truth. Luke wouldn’t love him otherwise.”

The pilots nodded their heads in agreement.

“Why doesn’t he like playing with us, anyway?” A Twi’lek named Juno asked.

Ezra shrugged. “Luke doesn’t like games of chance.”

“Life is a game of chance,” a Togruta named Kosa said.

“That’s more than enough chance games,” Ezra countered.

“Fair,” Kosa muttered.

“He’s still not above making bets,” a Sullistan named Nein reminded them.

“Enough chatter,” Juno said. “We’re playing a game.”

The squadron fell into silence, taking turns making moves. Kosa won the game, with Ezra almost making it to victory. That was when Luke showed up, his gaze betraying his tiredness, but only to Ezra.

Luke surveyed the group, and asked Ezra, “how’d you do?”

Ezra sighed in defeat, and Kosa exclaimed, “I won!”

“That’s great,” Luke smirked, “I’m glad you beat him.”

“Hey!”

Ace Squadron laughed at Ezra’s feigned offense.

Luke held out a hand to Ezra. “Let’s go, loser.”

His squadron laughed harder.

Ezra grasped Luke’s hand, pulling himself to his feet. He said to the group of pilots, “I’ll see ya.”

“Get some sleep,” Luke instructed to the team, sounding like a request, not an order.

“Yes, Commander,” Wedge promised.

They said their salutations, then Luke lead Ezra away from the hanger. 

As they went down two hallways, passing by whispering people, Luke and Ezra shared an amused look.

“Is gossiping really that entertaining?” Ezra wondered aloud.

Three women walked by, and they immediately started whispering loudly.

“Must be,” Luke replied, rounding a corner and striding down a different hallway.

“Did anyone say anything about it in the meeting?”

“No,” Luke said, “but if they did, they can shove it. I’m finally happy, and no one will ruin that.”

Ezra whistled. “Happy with little ol’ me? Yeah?”

“You may be short,” Luke teased, “but you’re not old.”

“Very funny.”

“Yeah,” Luke answered, “I’m happy with you.”

“Good,” Ezra said lightly, “me too.”

Before they reached their shared quarters, Sabine painting a mural halted them.

Ezra furrowed his brows, and said, “hey, Sabine.”

Sabine removed herself from ‘the zone,’ as Zeb called it, observing the two with a critical eye. “Oh,” she stepped down from a ladder, a streak of paint dashed across her cheek, “hey, Ezra. How are things?”

Ezra nearly winced at the numbness of the formal greeting. It lead to a realization that made an icicle pierce through his heart, infecting his veins and making his skin grow cold.

He hadn’t meant to distance himself from his family, but due to the Ghost crew’s elusive behavior, that’s exactly what happened.

“Good,” Ezra replied. “Um,” he glanced at the mural, a misshapen set of rectangles painted gold and red and orange, “what’s this supposed to be?”

Sabine snorted at the usual response. “You’re supposed to have your own interpretation. Feel it in your heart. What do you see?”

Ezra squinted, trying to comprehend the abstract art. “A desert, maybe?”

Sabine shook her head and sighed. She chose to acknowledge Luke, who Ezra noticed was staring at the mural fondly. “You see something,” Sabine said happily, “don’t you?”

“I see Beggar’s Canyon,” Luke said wistfully, “where I would race landspeeders on Tatooine.”

Sabine and Ezra watched his profile, awestruck that Luke could be so in touch with his emotions, even if they brought up mixed feelings. It was something Ezra struggled with on occasion, and Sabine just as well.

“Good memories,” Luke said softly. “Um,” his head snapped away from the mural, and he said genuinely to Sabine, “I really like it.”

“Thanks,” Sabine said with a smile, her eyes shining.

Luke stepped away from the mural. “I’ll let you get back to it.”

“Go to sleep at a reasonable hour,” Ezra suggested to Sabine, “okay?”

Sabine stuck out her tongue.

Ezra snorted and said goodbye, Luke following him to their bedroom.

————

Sabine didn’t get back to the Ghost until midnight, and she was surprised to see Kanan, Hera, and Zeb awake, gathered around the booth.

“Finish the mural?” Kanan asked, sensing her enter before Hera or Zeb could.

“It may need some finishing touches tomorrow,” Sabine said, peeling away her dirty overalls, sitting beside Zeb in a tee and shorts. 

Her mouth curved in a thoughtful line, and Hera asked, “did something happen?”

“I saw Ezra,” Sabine said. “Luke was with him.”

“At this hour?” Hera asked concernedly.

“I guess Luke’s briefing went late,” Sabine said. “I saw Ezra leave the hanger with him.”

“Ezra was playing sabacc,” Kanan reported, “with Ace Squadron.”

“Huh,” Sabine said, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “Luke’s squadron?”

“The very same,” Kanan replied warily.

“Anyway,” Sabine continued, “they saw my mural, and as usual, Ezra was flummoxed.”

“That won’t change,” Hera said fondly.

“But Luke got it,” Sabine said quietly. “I’m not used to people getting it.”

They were all silent at that, unsure what to say.

It was Kanan who murmured, “what did he see?”

“A canyon on Tatooine,” Sabine replied. “He said he raced through it.”

“Beggar’s Canyon?!” Zeb exclaimed, leaning forward with wide eyes.

“How do you know that?” Hera asked incredulously.

“Luke must have a death wish,” Zeb said, shaking his head. “I’ve heard of pilots dying on that run.”

“But Luke has the Force on his side,” Kanan pointed out, “and that is enough.”

“I still don’t like it,” Zeb said warily. “Ezra’s too close with that kid.”

“He’s nice,” Sabine said defensively, “and he gets my art. I vote in his favor.”

“There’s so much about him that we don’t know,” Hera observed. 

“Shouldn’t we, you know,” Sabine shrugged, “maybe get to know him first?”

“Ezra’s never acted this way around someone before,” Hera contemplated. “He usually has his passing fancies, gets a crush and flirts and moves on. But this is different.” She took a breath. “How long did Han say they’ve been together?”

“Six months,” Zeb answered, “but that was three months ago.”

The room settled in a beat of silence.

“This is serious,” Hera said, “and we hardly know anything about Luke Skywalker. Just the basic legend. We need to do something about that.”

“Like?” Zeb prompted.

Hera smirked, and Kanan held his face in his hands. Something through the Force passed between them.

“Are you sure?” Kanan asked Hera softly.

“Yes,” Hera replied.

————

Leia sent an alert to Luke’s door. Surprisingly, the bedroom door slid open seconds later, and she stepped inside. Ezra was sitting at the foot of the bed, slipping on boots. Luke was ready, his pilot’s tags dangling over his shirt collar.

“Sis,” he said.

“Bro,” she replied curtly.

“Hey,” Ezra murmured to Leia.

“You’re both being assigned to the Ghost to steal back five cargo ships,” Leia said, schooling her expression and masking her Force signature. “You leave in the afternoon for a week. Pack your bags. The briefing is in an hour.”

Instead of questioning Leia on the mission, Luke studied her aura. “Is something wrong?” Luke asked gently.

“This is a test,” Leia said blankly. “Ezra’s family is testing you, Luke.”

Ezra looked between the twins, and rose to his feet. He didn’t make to speak, but his glance at Leia indicated to Luke that it was true.

Luke furrowed his brows, unsure who he should address. “Is this the Force, or woman’s intuition?”

“Both,” Ezra muttered, Leia nodding to corroborate his answer.

Luke’s mouth felt dry. “Why?” He asked, his mouth stuffed with sand.

Ezra clenched his jaw, unable to look at either twin in the eye. “I think,” he murmured, “they mean to understand you.”

“It’s a horrible way to go about it,” Leia sighed, “but it makes sense.”

“So,” Luke summarized, “they mean to trap me just to talk to me?”

Ezra shrugged. “They’re weird. I know.”

“That doesn’t inspire much confidence,” Leia said, patting her brother’s shoulder. “You’ve been under far worse scrutiny ever since you took the Death Star shot. If they step out of line, you have my angry fiancé and a Wookiee on your side. Not to mention me, dear brother.”

“That won’t happen,” Ezra promised. “I’ll be there first.”

Leia smiled coolly at him. “Good.”

————

Artoo beeped in protest as Luke walked alongside Ezra to the hanger.

“Artoo,” Luke said exasperatedly, “I’ll be fine.”

Artoo beeped something that said ‘you’re walking into a trap, idiot.’

Luke smiled bitterly at the astromech. “I don’t have much of a choice.”

Ezra grasped his arm lightly, halting them near the hanger entrance. He knelt in front of Artoo and murmured, “I know you and Chopper don’t get along, and you’re trying to protect Luke, but I’ll take care of him.”

Artoo whirred a sad tone, and Luke was surprised to see his feisty droid reel back a bit.

“We’re on the same side,” Ezra said gently to Artoo. “Okay?”

Artoo beeped an agreement in binary, almost seeming sheepish. He emitted a little whir, and Luke smiled down at the droid.

Ezra rose to his feet, and Luke said, “I’ll see you soon, Artoo. Try not to tear Threepio apart.”

Artoo beeped that he couldn’t make any promises, and Luke snorted.

Since they already said goodbye to Leia, Han, and Chewbacca, Luke and Ezra entered the hanger without a farewell committee.

Who was waiting by the Ghost ramp, though, was Sabine.

She looked excited to see the couple arrive, without a hint of smugness or bad intentions. Her smile was genuine as she said, “happy to be back, Ezra?”

Luke didn’t miss the twinge in Ezra’s small smile. “Sure,” Ezra said. “It’s nice to be back.”

Ezra’s emotions in the Force were an open wound, but Luke chose not to peek. He would need Ezra’s permission to examine his mind further.

Sabine guided the couple up the ramp, and directed them to set their bags down. The surroundings set Ezra at ease, and Luke glanced around, experiencing them for the first time.

“I, for one,” Sabine said, “am glad to share company with someone that appreciates abstract art. It’s my latest obsession.”

Luke’s smile brought a lightness to the air, and not even Sabine — who wasn’t Force sensitive — could deny that the atmosphere bent to Luke’s will. He sensed Ezra bask in the momentary brightness in his Force signature. By pure proximity alone, Ezra smiled a little too.

“Do you have more?” Luke asked her.

Sabine’s entire face lit up. She grinned at Ezra. “Your boyfriend is mine now.” Sabine winked, swiveling smugly to face Luke. “I have more murals across the entire ship. I wanna know what you see!”

Luke knew the veil hidden behind the exclamation, but it didn’t deter him. He cocked his head towards Ezra and sang, “bye!”

Ezra rolled his eyes, and Sabine beamed as Luke followed her.

The first mural Luke saw was a mixture of green and gray blobs, marking the living area in the Ghost.

Sabine practically bounced on her feet as she waited for Luke’s words, and he knew from Ezra that Sabine was normally cool, calm, and collected. This was unusual behavior for her.

Luke found himself saying, “it reminds me of the first time I saw green.”

Sabine’s eyes widened, completely fixated on his profile. She knew he came from a desert planet, and that most people took advantage of seeing plant life and water so readily available. Luke treated them as the commodities they were, more precious to him than any jewel in the galaxy. Sabine frowned a little, as if never thinking about it before, the impact of plants and water on someone who only knew sand and scarcity.

Luke continued, “it was when I went to the Rebel base on Yavin 4. I was nineteen, and I remember being blown away by all this...life. I didn’t know planets could be so green.” He added absently, “the gray is the base among the trees.”

Sabine was rendered silent for a beat. She looked at him the way Han sometimes looked at him, like he didn’t seem quite real. An old soul in a young man’s body.

“I’ve never thought of that,” she said breathlessly. “That must have been...jarring.”

“That’s one word for it,” Luke said, turning away from the colors.

Sabine lead him to another mural, and Luke wondered if the Ghost crew was deliberately avoiding him, or if they were somehow listening in to the conversation through security cameras.

Or neither of those things. Leia made Luke too paranoid.

The next mural was a circular blob of fiery colors, and Luke said, “it’s Tatooine’s twin suns.”

“How so?” Sabine asked, squinting as if trying to see what he did.

Luke stepped towards the wall, making a circular motion with his finger around a ring of yellow. “That’s Tatoo 1.” He made another circle within that one, orange being the prevalent color. “That’s Tatoo 2.” He pointed towards the red dots in the middle. “When the sun sets, they cross-”

“And turn red,” Sabine finished. She gaped. “Wow. Never looked at it that way.” Her eyes met his, and she lamented, “if only we weren’t attracted to our own gender.”

Luke smiled.

The third mural was near the back of the freighter. It went from ceiling to floor, streaks of endless blue meant to elicit rain.

Luke didn’t think of rain, though.

He thought of the Lake Country, of Ezra jumping from the waterfall and crashing into the lake, of Ezra throwing his arms around Luke, both of them closing their eyes and basking in each other’s Force presence, of Ezra’s golden skin in the sunlight and his eyes above the sparkling lake and his lips against Luke’s skin.

He thought of Ezra unfairly racing him to the docks, of them running like foolish kids into the country house, shutting themselves inside their shared room and making love until he only remembered Ezra’s name.

Luke blinked, plucking his mind away from the past and dropping it into the present.

“The waterfalls on Naboo,” Luke said absently to Sabine. 

When he didn’t make to say anything else, Sabine said, “Is this when you went a little while ago?”

“Yeah,” Luke huffed, “Ezra, of course, jumped off one for kicks.”

“He’s still an idiot, huh?” She asked fondly.

“That’s just Ezra,” Luke said with a shrug.

Luke caught a hint of a smile on Sabine’s face before they decided to rejoin the crew.

————

Luke walked around the freighter as if his every step would offend.

Upon meeting the crew in the cockpit and sensing their hesitancy towards him, Luke chose to be careful. He wasn’t one for hiding, but he found it to be his best course of action unless he was addressed directly.

Kanan, being the only other Jedi and Ezra’s former Master, was rightfully wary of Luke. He could easily see the matter from Kanan’s point of view, and knew he envisioned Luke as a son-stealer. While Luke wasn’t a particularly bad influence, Ezra choosing Luke over more time with his family left a notable sting.

Hera was the mother to Kanan’s father, and felt much of the same wariness Kanan did towards Luke. He sensed Hera’s need to protect Ezra from danger, if her coddling and hugs were anything to go by. In this situation, Hera was the one assessing Luke the most, making sure he wasn’t a danger to Ezra.

He was garnering Sabine’s easy trust, apparently able to see the truth in Luke as Leia had, even before they knew they were siblings. Chopper wasn’t much to worry over either, since droids naturally took a liking to him.

Zeb, however, was another obstacle entirely from Hera. His body language screamed hostility, and Luke knew only a grand gesture could get Zeb to accept him being with Ezra.

Luke didn’t think he would have the chance to make a gesture quite that grand.

At the earliest opportunity, when the Ghost was in hyperspace, Luke locked himself inside Ezra’s old room. He was shocked to see a set of bunk beds, the bottom one having once been Kanan’s before he stayed in Hera’s room. 

The top bunk, however, held traces of Ezra’s presence. Luke saw several pictures and postings along the wall, but didn’t make to hone in on any of them. Luke sat on the bottom bunk, seeing his bag already there, and powered on his datapad.

“Whew,” his AI, Meredith, said, “it was getting toasty in that bag.”

Luke snorted at the artificial intelligence he created, surprised at how much her personality had grown. “Any messages?”

“Wedge sent a holo.” Meredith brought up the image, and Luke’s eyes widened.

Ace Squadron was posed in front of his new X-wing, with Wedge grinning from the cockpit, two thumbs up.

“I will end you,” Luke hissed at the holo.

“Want me to send that?” Meredith teased.

“No,” Luke said, leaning back against the wall. “Best not to provoke them.”

Luke sensed Ezra’s Force presence, and he blinked up from the datapad.

Ezra keyed the door shut behind him, murmuring, “how are you doing?”

Luke shrugged.

Ezra sat beside him on the bottom bunk. “Triangle of Love?”

“I’m warming up to you,” Meredith declared.

“Wow,” Ezra grinned, “thank you.”

The sight of Ezra’s bright grin brought Luke to a familiar wavelength, and he set his conflicts aside.

They curled up with their backs against the wall, Ezra’s head on Luke’s shoulder. Luke bent his legs, his thighs providing leverage to view the datapad. 

Ezra kissed his neck, and murmured, “it’ll be alright.”

Luke tipped his cheek onto Ezra’s head, and said to Meredith, “play the next episode.”

They were immersed in the soap opera, gasping at the last moment when a fourth love interest was introduced.

“Whom the fuck,” Luke said in Huttese, “is Trevor?”

Ezra blew out excess air. “Are they gonna rename the show Square of Love? They’re running out of ideas.”

“Rectangle of Love sounds better,” Luke said, blinking at a realization that came a moment too late. 

Ezra understood his rhetorical question.

“Are you,” his breath hitched, “learning Huttese?”

Ezra hummed in affirmation.

Luke leaned away from Ezra, and Ezra pulled back from his shoulder, observing Luke bite his lip. “To hear me swear?” Luke asked, feeling choked up all of a sudden.

Ezra smiled softly, and did not answer with words. An invisible hand caressed Luke’s cheek, as delicately as a gust of wind, and Luke knew it could only be the Force guiding Ezra’s command.

Luke’s eyes welled up, and he looked down, not understanding why he was acting this way.

“Meredith,” he said, “go to sleep.”

The datapad shut down, a black screen reflecting their faces. Luke blinked away water accumulating in his eyelids, and looked into Ezra’s gaze.

“I love you,” he said.

The Force swelled, music reaching Luke’s ears, and Ezra met Luke in the middle. They paused, just enough for Ezra to whisper, “I love you too.”

The chorus began, and their lips met.

————

“Blue wire to white wire,” Luke instructed.

Ezra furrowed his brows. Pliers were in his hands, Luke’s prosthetic arm control panel opened on the table. “Why is it blue wire to green wire?”

“It was a temporary fix,” Luke said, “before I got the white wires operational.”

Ezra hummed, untwining the green wire and replacing it with the white wire. “Okay, next.”

“Green wire to red wire.”

Ezra raised a thick eyebrow. “Why are there red wires in your kriffin’ arm?”

“To self-destruct my arm and use it as a bomb,” Luke leveled his gaze towards Ezra, “obviously.”

Ezra couldn’t help the snort-laugh that came out of his mouth. “Hilarious,” he said dryly.

An ocean wave indicated Kanan’s Force presence, but Ezra purposefully kept his guard down. He didn’t want Luke to get defensive.

As Ezra connected the green wire with the red wire, Luke said, “red wire to white wire.”

“Why is there an extra white wire?” Ezra asked.

“It’s an override in case my self-destruct wire goes bust,” Luke replied dryly.

“You are just full of exploding arm jokes today,” Ezra said airily, securing the final two wires together.

Ezra sensed the rest of the Ghost crew lingering nearby, but didn’t say anything.

He pulled the pliers away from Luke’s arm. “There.” He secured the metal control panel over the wires, Luke’s arm looking like regular flesh again. “All fixed.”

“Remember it?” Luke challenged.

“Blue to white,” Ezra recited, “green to red, and red to white.”

“Good. Thank you.”

“We should check,” Ezra said, splaying out his own hand above Luke’s. His thumb touched Luke’s. “Feel that?”

“Yeah.”

Ezra touched Luke’s index finger with his own. “That?”

“Yeah.”

He touched their middle fingers together. “That?”

“Are you gonna do this with every finger?”

Ezra blinked up at him. “Would you prefer to be pricked with a needle?”

Luke sighed. “Guess not. That wasn’t fun anyway.”

Ezra poked his ring finger. “That?”

“Yeah.”

Ezra finally tapped his pinky finger. “And that?”

“Yeah.”

Ezra withdrew his hand. “Now make a fist.”

Luke made a fist with no problems. “All good.”

“Great.” Ezra grinned brightly. “Impressed?”

“Eh,” Luke said noncommittally.

Ezra leaned back in the booth and said to the door, “hey everyone.”

Luke masked his surprise as Kanan’s Force signature brushed them like a beach wave over bare feet. Hera, Sabine, and Zeb were right behind him, entering the room.

Kanan, who couldn’t stop looking at Luke’s prosthetic arm, asked, “how can you use the Force so well if you’re missing an arm?”

“More importantly,” Sabine chimed in, “how did you lose an entire arm, Luke?”

Luke’s voice to Ezra was a breeze in Naboo’s flower fields. “A lightsaber duel,” Luke replied to Sabine. He turned to Kanan next. “I had to relearn everything I was taught to use a prosthetic.”

Before anyone could feel uncomfortable, Ezra cleared his throat. “Are we ready for phase one?”

————

The first mission to steal back cargo was as easy as paying off a band of pirates for the ship.

After the relatively quick endeavor, and the Ghost was off to the next star system, Luke powered on Meredith.

“You have messages,” Meredith said, “Mr. Popular.”

Luke got comfortable on the bottom bunk in Ezra’s room, using his blanket to combat the chill of deep space. “Alright, let’s cycle through them.”

The first message was a set of holos from Wedge. Ace Squadron had taken turns sitting in his new X-wing cockpit and beaming happily at him.

Luke sighed. “I know I’ll regret it if I send anything back. Next.”

The second message was from Leia, asking how he was and requesting a quick report. Luke typed a response as quickly and efficiently as possible. He made sure to phrase his words so that Leia wouldn’t get worried and fly out to extract him herself.

The third message was a binary code from Artoo, asking if ‘that boy’ was treating him alright. Luke snorted and replied he was okay.

The fourth message was from Han, and a video began to play.

Han carried around a holo recorder, and was in the midst of Falcon repairs, Chewie’s growl resounding from the edge of the frame.

“Okay,” Han laughed, “Chewie says hi. This is a series I’m calling Days Without Jedi. We are on the morning of day one,” Han looked at the holo, “and the Falcon hyperdrive decided to crap out on me two hours ago, for absolutely no reason at all.”

Chewie yowled something to the effect of ‘it was Han’s fault, of course’ and Han shot the Wookiee a look.

“It’s too bad you’re not here to help, Luke,” Han said honestly, “because doing this makes you happy, not frustrated, like me.”

Luke cackled at the controlled anger in Han’s expression, then the clip transitioned to another one.

“It’s lunchtime,” Han said, walking through the mess hall, “and people wanna say hi.”

The frame shifted to Ace Squadron, gathered around a table and saying “hello!” loud enough to echo through the entire room.

The video shifted to peer inside Mon’s office, where Leia was talking with her. 

The frame zoomed out, and Han entered the image, out in the hallway. “They’ve been in a meeting for hours,” he whispered. “I have no clue what they’re talking about.” He stared directly into the recorder, and said, “can you tell how bored I am?”

A new clip began, and Luke burst out laughing.

Artoo had gotten ahold of the holo recorder, and he was whirring excitedly as he shot like a rocket down the hallway. Han was chasing Artoo frantically, yelling at the astromech as Artoo laughed in binary.

The video cut out, to another one where Han was panting against the wall. “Damn,” he said breathlessly, “that little bugger is fast!”

Luke was laughing so hard that tears were leaking out of his eyes.

Han looked at the holo warily. “I expect you have something to do with that, Luke.”

Luke beamed, even though Han couldn’t see it. “Got that right,” he said proudly.

“Anyways,” Han said, “the hyperdrive is fixed. Disaster averted.”

“Han!” An exasperated voice said from off-camera.

“Shit,” Han hissed, “maybe not.”

“What is this,” Leia entered the frame, scowling at Han, “I hear about you wreaking havoc all day?”

Han grinned at the holo, then turned it towards Leia. “Say hi to Luke and Ezra.”

Leia narrowed her eyes at him, arching an eyebrow at the holo recorder. “I hope neither of you are causing as much trouble as this one,” she said, nudging her head towards Han.

“Aw,” Han gazed at Leia affectionately, “thank you.”

The video ended completely, and Luke wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye. He stifled laughs, and said to Meredith, “tell Han I loved it.”

“Message sent,” Meredith reported.

A fifth message pinged at that exact moment, and Meredith clicked it open.

The message was from Ezra, who was currently in the cockpit with Hera. There were no words in the message, just a heart.

Luke bit the corner of his mouth to prevent from smiling.

A message followed a beat later: “I got you to smile. Admit it.”

Luke typed back: “Never.”

————

Ezra spent a good two minutes after watching Han’s video laughing until he couldn’t breathe. Luke soaked up his elation through the Force, a symphony rising between their auras.

“Are there gonna be more of these?” Ezra asked delightedly.

“Force, I sincerely hope so,” Luke replied.

The two shared a smile, and there was an alert at the door. Ezra hesitantly slipped out of bed, pecking Luke’s cheek before he answered the door.

It slid open, revealing Hera. “We’re here.”

Luke said, “go to sleep, Meredith.”

“Must I?” The AI asked with a sigh.

Hera jumped, looking at the datapad in Luke’s hand. “How is that thing talking?”

Luke said, “this is my AI, Meredith.” 

He held up the datapad, and Meredith said, “I’m not a thing.”

“Sorry,” Hera said, blinking incredulously at Luke. “You made an artificial intelligence program?”

“Uh huh,” Luke said blankly.

“By yourself?!”

“Uh huh,” Luke repeated, unsure why he was tripping her up. “I got bored during one of my hospital stays.”

“So you,” Hera asked incredulously, “decided to turn your datapad into an AI?”

“Yes,” Luke said. “Now go to sleep, Meredith.”

The datapad went black as ordered.

Luke set the datapad on the bunk and stood by Ezra. They tried to get to the door, but Hera remained there, observing Luke like he was a different being entirely.

“Luke,” Hera asked, “are you a certified genius?”

Luke tilted his head to the side. “I wouldn’t know. Never took a test or anything.”

Hera broke from her trance, allowing the couple to pass. “Let’s get to phase two.”

————

Finding the cargo ship docked on Vanqor wasn’t part of the plan. When they took the Phantom and found no people inside the cargo ship, something was definitely wrong.

It was Luke who sensed it in the Force before Kanan or Ezra. It was Luke who guided them a short distance from the cargo ship, revealing a destroyed nest of gundarks. It was Luke who realized the gundarks were fighting off an intrusion, and the two opposing forces were an even match.

It was Luke who found a single baby gundark injured in a small cave, and was moved to help it before anyone could see him.

Luke used the Force to calm the young gundark, and it bowed towards his waiting palm. He used bacta spray to discreetly heal its wound.

He sensed the gundark’s gratefulness, and nearly missed Zeb pointing the barrel of a blaster towards it.

“Don’t,” Luke hissed, observing three blasters trained towards the gundark. Kanan and Ezra were off to the side, their lightsabers strapped to their belts. Hera and Sabine looked at Luke as if he were an alien, completely out of his mind.

“Kid,” Zeb said dangerously, “all gundarks kill. Step back.”

“No,” Luke said, tipping his head towards Zeb, his gaze hardening into tempered steel. “It can’t hurt anyone.”

“Yet,” Zeb countered.

Luke felt his anger rise up, and he deflated to dissipate the building storm. He was no longer the hotheaded farm boy who couldn’t control his powers and emotions.

He said calmly, “all planets have a balance. It has already been disturbed today. There doesn’t need to be any more destruction.”

“Why not?” Zeb prodded.

“Because disturbing the balance too much will destroy the entire planet,” Luke said factually.

Zeb lowered his gun with a clenched jaw. “Fine,” he growled. “Have it your way.”

“He’s right,” Kanan said, his voice slicing through the cave.

The Ghost crew turned to him.

Kanan addressed Luke. “You can let it go.”

Luke had curled an arm instinctively over the gundark’s injured body, and he retracted it.

The baby gundark sensed something in Luke, and bowed its head. Luke absently brushed a finger across the top of its head. The gundark rushed away, further into the depths of the cave.

Zeb scoffed, staring at Ezra. “What do you think, kid?”

“It was the right thing to do,” Ezra said calmly.

“Of course you’d think that,” Zeb said, stalking away, muttering, “you’d agree with any choice he made.”

“Zeb,” Hera said sharply, “go back to the ship.”

Zeb waved a hand and walked back, Luke staring at the crystalline structure of the cave floor.

“Sorry about Zeb,” Kanan said, Luke rising to his feet. “He’s skeptical.”

Luke murmured, “I don’t blame him.”

He felt a wave of sympathy through the Force, and turned towards Hera before Ezra could garner his attention.

“Now what, Colonel?” Luke asked Hera.

————

After Zeb downright rejected Luke’s presence on the Ghost, Kanan and Hera were moved to learn about Luke.

Sabine accepted Luke almost immediately, which surprised even Ezra. Hera saw the tactical advantages of having Luke there. Kanan, probably through Hera, was curious and wanted to learn more about the man behind the stories.

With Zeb hiding out, the rest of the Ghost crew listened to the true stories behind Luke’s exploits. Ezra, who had heard most of them, mooned at Luke and received Sabine’s teasing jabs for it.

When Hera learned Luke’s first language was Huttese, she spoke a sentence to him in Huttese.

“How do you know it?” Luke asked incredulously.

“It’s a trade language,” Hera shrugged, “and if I’m in a bind for credits, we sell cargo to Hutt Space. What about you?”

Luke’s smile fell a little. “It’s the primary language on Tatooine,” he kept his voice light, “and I’m descended from slaves.” Before the atmosphere could change, Luke furrowed his brows. “Nearly everyone on Tatooine is,” Luke said, “so it’s not a big deal.”

Kanan clearly wanted to question him further, but a glance from Hera stopped him.

“He uses it to swear, mostly,” Ezra said with a short chuckle. “It’s pretty funny.”

“Huttese has inventive swear words,” Luke agreed.

Before Sabine could gleefully ask for examples, Kanan asked, “who was your Master?”

Luke blinked at the swift change, but replied, “I had two Masters.”

“Would I know them?” Kanan asked, leaning forward with an interest uncharacteristic of him.

“Everyone does,” Luke said. “Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda.”

Kanan fell back in the booth, his eyes wide. “Kriff,” he breathed, “they’re legendary.”

“So I’ve heard,” Luke said meekly.

Kanan said incredulously, “it’s good to know the Great Negotiator and the Grandmaster trained a disciple.”

Luke found tales from the Clone Wars era in an old book. His father was once known as the Hero With No Fear, and their Master was the Great Negotiator. Anakin Skywalker was the sword, and Obi-Wan Kenobi was the shield. Anakin was the storm, and Obi-Wan was the calm. 

Yoda prevailed over every Jedi of the old ways. He was the strongest Jedi who ever lived, besides the Emperor. There was the argument that Anakin, Luke, and Leia could be included in this equation, but Luke wasn’t one to judge such things.

“I only knew them for a short time,” Luke said, “but I did my best with what I learned.”

“We can all say the same,” Kanan observed, his eyes shining and emitting a small chuckle.

“You look cozy together,” Zeb said, entering the room with a light step, so unlike his lumbering form.

“Zeb,” Hera said, “if you’re not cooled off by now, you’re not welcome.”

“Is that right?” Zeb raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Sabine agreed, “you need to accept that things aren’t the same as they used to be.”

Her words struck a chord with every member of the Ghost, and Luke caught Ezra’s breath hitch.

This was the feeling Ezra had when they first stepped onto the ship. The feeling of being an outsider among his own family.

Luke knew it was partially his own fault, and he paled. Ezra didn’t blame him. That was certain in his Force signature. But Luke could feel that the existence of an estranged family did indeed fall on his shoulders.

Ezra may not blame him, but Luke blamed himself.

It was Ezra who broke the silence, standing up and facing Zeb with crossed arms.

“It was my choice to leave,” Ezra said to him. “Whether you admit it or not, everything I have done in the past year was my choice. My choice alone. So you can either get with the program, or not say anything at all.”

Zeb narrowed his eyes at Ezra. “Good for you, kid. I thought you’d never grow a backbone.”

Zeb exited out of another door before Ezra could say something he would regret. Ezra slowly sat down, and Luke’s comm began beeping from across the room. Luke took the opportunity to grab the comm and go into Ezra’s bedroom.

————

“Luke,” Leia said through the comm, “I know you’re not fine. Force connection, remember?”

Even from star systems away, Luke and Leia’s familial Force bond could not be switched off. They could sense each other’s emotions from opposite sides of the galaxy if they focused long enough.

“It’s just Zeb,” Luke huffed. “I knew he’d be an issue.”

“Ah, the muscle,” Leia mused, “always needs to be the strongest in the room.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Luke said warily, “but he’s determined to hate me.”

“You’re too nice,” Leia observed. “That can rub people the wrong way. He must find you untrustworthy.”

“Ezra used to find everyone untrustworthy, or so I’ve heard,” Luke countered, “but he’s not acting this way.”

Leia sighed. “There’s not much you can do, I’m afraid. Unless you want me to rescue you.”

“I don’t need rescuing,” Luke said, reminded of how he got the same impression from Leia on the Death Star.

“Let him come to you, then,” Leia offered. “Now tell me what happened today.”

————

Ezra keyed the door shut, and Luke glanced up from Han’s video, which showed Ace Squadron stealing the holo recorder and messing around all day.

“Are you okay?” Ezra murmured, strangely sheepish as he stood in front of the bottom bunk. His hands were in his pockets, and his shoulders were slumped. His gaze was a bit downwards, and it was so unlike Ezra that Luke felt guilty.

“Are you?” Luke countered, poking Ezra’s stomach through the Force.

Ezra’s inhaled sharply, a short laugh spilling from his lips. He fell to his knees in front of Luke, smiling up at him like he was the sun, and Ezra needed to soak up his radiance.

“You’re amazing,” he whispered.

It was incredible to Luke how Ezra could express so much in so few words. He knew this was Ezra’s way of reassuring him, of validating him, and of complimenting him all at once.

“So are you,” Luke said softly.

Ezra grinned, his eyes shining. “Yeah?”

Luke tipped his head down, their foreheads bumping together. Their gazes met, and he said, “yeah.”

————

The third cargo ship was docked in the least likely place Luke could have expected. When the Ghost’s ramp opened, and he saw the edge of a familiar cape approaching, Luke couldn’t believe it.

The figure came into view, and Luke exclaimed, “Lando?!”

It took Luke a second too long to realize the entire Ghost crew joined in on his surprised outcry.

Based on Ezra’s scowl, Luke guessed whatever happened hadn’t been good.

Lando merely smiled, swishing towards Luke with his charm on high. “Luke,” his eyes roved over Luke’s face flirtatiously, “my, you’ve changed quite a bit, haven’t you?”

Luke felt a little sick, and that was enough to ignite Ezra’s flame.

“Take a step back there, cowboy,” Ezra said venomously, walking forward until he was beside Luke, staring daggers into Lando.

He took a step back, but he still smiled. “Ezra Bridger,” Lando said smoothly, “a pleasure.”

Ezra’s rage was snuffed out as effectively as air blowing on a candle. Luke was glad Ezra could exercise his control, or else he had no idea what would have happened.

“Why are you stealing our cargo?” Hera demanded, taking the forefront in the conversation.

Lando sidestepped away from Luke and Ezra, saying to Hera, “it’s just business.”

“Deal’s off,” Zeb said gruffly. 

“If you’ve got nothing to offer me in return,” Lando said, “the cargo is mine.”

“You have a farm,” Luke asked numbly, “right?”

Lando faced him again, raking his eyes over Luke’s face incredulously. “How can you possibly know that?”

Ezra’s hand curled around Luke’s, and Luke pitched their arms behind his back. 

Luke steeled himself and said, “I can increase your profits over the next quarter if you show me the data.”

Lando’s brow quirked upwards, as if unsure whether he heard Luke correctly.

“Yes,” Luke said boldly, “I have a brain.”

Lando took another step back, his gaze narrowing. Luke heard Ezra’s laughter resonating in the Force.

“I’ll bite,” Lando said. “How much of an increase?”

“Enough to cover the cost of the cargo,” Luke replied, “and a little extra to buy a couple more capes.”

Ezra squeezed his hand to prevent his mouth from twitching into a smile. The Ghost crew behind them was having a hard time masking their amusement too.

Lando asked, “what if I say no deal?”

Luke smiled innocently at the expected resistance. “Then I’ll call Han.”

Lando stared at him for a long moment, and Luke could feel Ezra fighting the urge to bark at him.

“You’re bluffing,” Lando said.

“I have his number,” Luke said breezily. “He is engaged to my sister, after all.” He added nonchalantly, “oh, and General Mothma’s been tracking you. Do you really think,” he narrowed his eyes, “an excess amount of credits being added to your off-shore accounts wasn’t going to raise red flags?”

Lando inhaled sharply. “Fine,” he acquiesced. “You’re coming,” he glanced at Ezra, “and your little boyfriend is incentive.”

“No!” Hera exclaimed. “Don’t-”

“Hera,” Ezra placated, looking into her eyes, “it’s fine.”

They all studied Ezra’s unflinching gaze, and realized how much faith he had that Luke would save him. So much faith, even, that it could be considered foolish. But there was an assuredness in his gaze, too. As if he knew the outcome, and knew he would be perfectly safe.

The combination of both of those strong feelings rendered Hera and the Ghost crew completely silent.

Lando led the couple onto the Bespin facility, leaving the Ghost crew confined to their ship.

It was an hour later when Luke and Ezra were returned unharmed to the ship, Lando trailing behind them. Hera, Kanan, Sabine, and Zeb stood at attention, worry prevalent in their expressions.

Lando addressed Hera as the captain of the Ghost. “Take your cargo,” he said, “and be out of here by nightfall.”

He descended the ramp with a sweep of his cape, Hera gathering Ezra into a hug.

“What did you do?” Sabine asked Luke curiously.

“Increased his profits,” Luke replied, “by replacing his vaporators with an older and more efficient model.”

“But,” Hera recalled, “a bill will be passed next year requiring the removal of old vaporators.”

Luke’s smile was as sweet as candied jogan.

“Okay, kid,” Zeb admitted, “that was a good one.”

————

The fourth cargo ship was found on Canto Bight, where the pirates declared the only way to get it back was to win a game of sabacc. Since Ezra was the only one skilled in the game, it was up to him to win back the cargo.

While the rest of the Ghost crew searched for a booth near the sabacc tables, Ezra whispered to Luke, “I have a stupid idea.”

Luke raised an eyebrow, and muttered, “now’s not the time for one, Ez.”

Ezra smiled softly at the predictable response. “Leia’s always going on about using her looks as a weapon in certain situations.”

Luke read his suggestion before Ezra could speak it into existence, and snorted. “You just want me to look pretty.”

“Think about it,” Ezra looked around the gambling room, and Luke saw several well-dressed women snaking between tables, giving their partner silent encouragement, “look at the table.”

Luke focused on a beautiful Twi’lek woman kissing a human man, and how the gazes of every person at the table distracted their thoughts from the game.

“You have far more appeal than me,” Ezra murmured. “You could do it no problem.”

Luke inclined his head, his lashes fluttering as he sighed. “I don’t know, Ez. I don’t have the confidence to pull it off.”

“Yes you do,” Ezra said instantly, as if he didn’t even have to think about it. “Pretend no one else is here but me,” his breath caught in his throat, and he was thinking far more unsavory thoughts than was necessary, “and you can bring them all to their knees.”

Luke inhaled through his nose, thought for a moment, then exhaled, “okay.”

“The game doesn’t start for another ten minutes,” Ezra said. “I’ll send you a signal when to walk.”

Luke nodded and slipped away from the casino, entering the docked Ghost discreetly.

He mainly packed essentials in his bag for the trip, but had taken Leia’s advice to always pack dress clothing. He truly thought he wouldn’t have to wear the outfit. Leia bought it for him, despite Luke’s uneasiness when he tried it on.

Luke summoned his courage and unzipped the bag, taking out the folded outfit. He changed into black pants that molded onto his legs and frowned in the mirror.

He threw the translucent white tunic over his head and was nearly shocked still at the reminder of his farm clothes. If the fabric weren’t so expensive, Luke would think he was back on his aunt and uncle’s moisture farm.

Despite the collar on the tunic, there was a V that showed his collarbone down the middle. A sash that acted as a belt above his waist was the thickest piece of silk on the shirt. 

If the light hit him right, Luke’s shirt was transparent. And if he were to tug on the sash, the shirt would open like a robe.

Luke’s skin turned bright red at the train of thought, blinking rapidly before he could think too much about Ezra.

Luke slipped off his pilot’s tags and left them on his pillow, next to Meredith, who he didn’t realize was updating her software.

She blinked to life and seemed to look at him with invisible eyes through the screen.

Meredith downloaded a sound board within three seconds, and immediately activated the whistling function.

Luke blushed profusely, a little laugh erupting from his lips due to sheer embarrassment alone.

“That man of yours doesn’t deserve you, honey,” Meredith said.

Luke found a mirror and ran a hand through his sandy hair, evening out stray strands. “I’ll decide that for myself, Meredith.”

“Fair enough,” Meredith conceded.

“When you’re done upgrading,” Luke advised, “take a nap.”

“I will,” Meredith said, “trust me.”

Luke said, “see you later.”

“Bye now,” Meredith chirped.

Luke left Ezra’s bedroom and went back into the casino. The gambling room had not changed much in regards to people, and he slipped into a service hallway. He dipped into the Force and sensed the Ghost crew had not moved from the seating area. Ezra was at the sabacc table nearest to the bar, and a crew of players were assembled by the pirates who stole their cargo.

Luke fully expected them to fight dirty and cheat underhandedly. That was why Ezra’s plan, he hated to admit, was fair play.

Luke was tapped on the shoulder through the Force, and he entered the gambling den.

He held his head high as Leia taught him, using the Force to steady his legs as he moved as seamlessly as a breeze.

It didn’t take long for humanoids and aliens alike to take stock of the new arrival, gazes drawn to him like Jawas to spare parts.

Luke hooded his gaze with his long eyelashes, the lights reflecting off of his hair. He slinked past sabacc tables, playing coy as every set of eyes swept past his form.

They looked like they wanted to own him, take him as a prize, wondering if he could be bought. Luke kept his expression mild, the Force curving around him in waves and swooning.

He reached his target, envy radiating from another woman at the table, who stepped back as if being personally threatened.

Luke felt the weight of dozens of gazes follow him to Ezra’s seat, the most startled being the Ghost crew, minus Sabine, who was grinning.

He met Ezra’s gaze, and Ezra tipped his head up, delight and pride in his Force signature.

Luke noted how Ezra was the only person at the table who didn’t look at him like a commodity. Ezra looked at him as if he had died and gone to the great beyond, and this was his reward for completing good deeds.

Ezra grasped Luke’s chin lightly, his lips brushing against Luke’s briefly. He dragged his mouth to Luke’s ear, murmuring in Huttese, so only he could hear, “beauty, thy name is Luke.”

Luke knew he couldn’t react to the words, so he caressed Ezra’s cheek through the Force. Ezra smiled, and Luke said, loud enough so the table could hear, “good luck.”

Luke pulled back, and the dazed expression disappeared from Ezra’s eyes as if he shut off a switch in his mind. It was time to play the game, and Luke slinked away, sensing gazes burning into his back as he reached the bar.

He ordered a glass of Corellian whiskey, and noticed the bartender arch an eyebrow as he downed it. 

Luke sensed that holos were being taken of him, and he secretly slipped out his wrist comm. The screen lit up, and he saw the trending topic in this sector of space.

They called him “The Angel of Iego.”

Luke held back a snort, and decided to lean into the distinction, as ridiculous as it was.

Luke took turns about the gambling room, catching every single eye as he did so. He made sure to pay the closest attention to Ezra, which garnered mumbled questions as to what made him so special.

That question was answered when Ezra won enough credits to pay the pirates for their cargo.

When it was stored away in the Ghost’s rapidly-filling cargo area, Luke noticed no one but Sabine was looking at him directly.

Ezra noticed the warning through the Force, and he sheepishly shed his jacket. Luke took the offering, slipping his arms through the rust-colored leather. He bit his lip and cast his eyes downwards, allowing his discomfort to show on his face.

That got Hera to look at him, then Kanan, then Zeb.

Before anyone could speak, Ezra splayed a hand on Luke’s upper back, guiding him to the bedroom.

Luke wanted more than anything to hide under the covers until he fell asleep.

But when the door to Ezra’s bedroom slid shut behind them, Ezra gathered him into a hug before Luke could hide himself.

Luke burrowed his head in Ezra’s shoulder, sinking into his embrace like he was a life raft. Ezra’s arms encircled his middle, his hands rubbing soothing circles on his back.

“I’m sorry,” Ezra mumbled, “I didn’t realize-”

“I wanted to do it,” Luke said into his neck.

“Okay,” Ezra exhaled, “but I’m sorry how they’re acting.”

“You don’t have to be,” Luke huffed. “If I’m being honest,” he smirked impishly, “I quite like being an angel of Iego.”

Ezra chuckled, a deep sound that made Luke’s heart stutter. He pulled back, his smile filling Luke’s vision.

“There’s no one in the entire galaxy like you, Luke Skywalker,” he said fondly.

“I know,” Luke said lightly.

————

The fifth and final missing cargo ship was found before the Ghost could track it.

Luke received a video from Han the previous day stating he was on the Falcon bound for “a secret destination.” He received a holo call from Leia that morning, ringing so loudly it jolted him from a dreamless sleep.

He heard a groan from the top bunk, and knew it had woken Ezra too. Ezra’s arm was cast over the mattress on the top bunk, and Luke chuckled, running his finger down Ezra’s palm so quickly that he got goosebumps. Ezra hissed and retracted his arm, and Luke used the Force to retrieve his comm.

He dangled his legs over the mattress, his metal pilot’s tags warm under his tee. He switched on the comm. “Hm?”

“Hello there, angel of Iego,” Leia said breezily. “Did I wake you?”

Instead of acting against the title, Luke wore it like a badge of honor. “It was quite the night,” Luke said, matching Leia’s carefree tone.

He heard Ezra shift in bed above him, and bit his lip.

“I called to tell you that Queen Soruna came upon our final cargo ship.”

Ezra’s feet poked down from the bed, and he effortlessly reached the ground in a soundless drop. He curled beside Luke on the bottom bunk silently, his brow raised at the news.

“Does that mean we don’t have to go?” Luke asked.

“I’m already at Naboo,” Leia said brightly, “but I want you to come. Don’t tell Colonel Syndulla about the change.”

“Um,” Luke shared a skeptical look with Ezra, “why?”

“Because we’re gonna party!”

Ezra’s face immediately lit up, but Luke was wary. “They’re not the partying type.”

“Too bad for them! It’s happening!”

“Was this Mon’s idea?”

“Of course,” Leia said smoothly. “I’ll see you tonight. Now wake up!”

Luke’s mouth twinged in a smile. “Okay. Tell Han thanks for the videos. They’re gems.”

“Gotta keep him occupied somehow,” Leia said fondly. “I’ll pass it on. Bye.”

“Bye.” Luke switched the comm off.

Ezra bounced a single time on the bed excitedly. “A party, Luke.” He grinned. “I’ll see you dressed pretty two days in a row!”

“Is that all I am? A pretty face?” Luke teased.

“No,” Ezra said instantly, sensing the seriousness of the situation even if Luke couldn’t admit it to himself.

Something passed between them, and Luke glanced at the bedspread.

“They’ll never get you,” Ezra said, “not entirely. Hell, even after all these years, Kanan and I get looked at differently. It’s part of being a Jedi. It’s something Hera, Sabine, and Zeb won’t get. They try, but they can’t. That’s the way it is, Luke.”

“Yeah,” Luke sighed, “I’m starting to get that now.”

Ezra’s hand rested atop his, and Luke gazed up at him.

“Don’t apologize for being you,” Ezra said.

Luke felt foolish for having to hear it, but he was grateful nonetheless.

————

Ezra’s meditation near the cockpit was disturbed when the entire Ghost crew decided to rush him at once.

They truly did know how to seize a moment, since Luke was doing his own round of mediation in the bedroom.

Ezra didn’t realize he had been floating an inch off the ground until he lowered himself on the mat. He landed shakily, but he straightened his posture and peered up at them. “Yes?”

Kanan sat across from him, taking a meditation stance, mirroring Ezra. It reminded Ezra of countless hours with Kanan as a teenager, becoming frustrated with his training. Luke admitted he was the same way with his teachers, and it made him feel better.

“You love him a lot,” Kanan said, “don’t you?”

“Yes,” Ezra said, wondering where this inquisition was going, “I already told you that, remember?”

“Is it to the point,” he asked, “where you’re irredeemable?”

Ezra furrowed his brows. “In what sense?”

A ripple through the Force passed between Kanan and Hera. Ezra thinks that, even though she isn’t Force sensitive, Hera felt the electric charge. And that they both understood.

“Is he all you think about?” Kanan asked wistfully, Hera bristling behind him. “Is your heart his, and his yours? Are you dedicated to one another completely?”

Zeb grumbled something about being a sap, and Ezra grinned up at Hera. “Do you fall for his wordsmithing, Hera?”

Hera blushed, and Kanan rolled his eyes at Ezra.

“To answer your prying questions,” Ezra replied, “yes on every count. You can arrest me now.”

Sabine snorted out a laugh. “You’re a piece of work, Ezra. I don’t know how he handles you.”

Ezra smiled brightly, and they were reminded of Luke. “Is there any reason you’re asking me such strange questions, Kanan? I’m eager to know.”

Kanan read something in Ezra’s Force signature, and he admitted, “this past year, I have...refused to believe you didn’t need me anymore.”

Ezra murmured, “I’ll always need you. All of you.”

“You’ve grown up,” Kanan continued softly, “right under our noses. We’ve had trouble accepting that.”

Ezra saw Zeb nod in agreement, and his breath caught in his throat. Admitting fault was a big deal for Zeb.

“You don’t need us,” Kanan said, “in the way you used to. But that’s okay. You’re a far cry from the boy I met years ago, but that’s to your credit. What I’m trying to say is,” he exhaled, “I’m happy you’re happy. We all are.”

Ezra stared at the mat, and nodded his head. He sniffled, and teased, “were you trying to make me cry? It’s not gonna work.”

Sabine and Hera chuckled, spurring Zeb and Kanan to smile.

————

Ezra slipped into the bedroom, Luke typing reports on his datapad.

“We’ll be docked in a few minutes,” Ezra said.

Luke nodded and saved a document. He set down the datapad on his pillow and looked up. “There’s something you should know,” he said, “before we dock.”

Ezra leaned against the closed door. “Oh?”

“My mother was a Queen,” Luke said softly, as if speaking it in a lower register made it not as real.

Ezra lurched forward, his brows climbing to his hairline. “Huh?!”

“Yeah,” Luke grimaced, “weird, right?”

“Uh huh,” Ezra said hollowly, raking his eyes across Luke’s face, as if trying to understand how it could be possible.

“I’m sorry for not telling you sooner,” Luke rushed out. “It’s...it’s weird for me.” His face twisted as he looked at the blank datapad. “It makes me uncomfortable, to be honest.”

Ezra’s footsteps were unnaturally loud to Luke’s ears as he got closer. Ezra stopped near Luke’s legs, and murmured, “it shouldn’t.”

Luke tilted his head up in surprise.

“You’ve been given a gift,” Ezra said, gazes piercing through each other. “While you may not be ready to accept it yet, it will always be there.”

Luke sighed, wondering when Ezra had become wiser than the man he met months earlier, when he was a lost man unsure what to do next.

Luke bowed his head, then nodded thoughtfully.

“Does this mean,” amusement reached Ezra’s tone, “I should bow before you, Prince?”

A side of Luke’s mouth curved upwards, and he shook his head. “While I’m technically a prince,” he said, “I should bow before you.”

Ezra’s eyes widened, and he stepped back, brow raised. His gaze didn’t leave Luke’s as he whispered, “damn, Luke. That was smooth.”

Luke smirked. “Don’t tell anyone before I’m ready. Okay?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Ezra laughed as Luke threw a light punch that didn’t connect. 

“Okay,” he chuckled, holding up his hands, “I’ll stop. I surrender.”

“That would be in your best interest.”

Ezra’s eyes glimmered, and he offered a hand.

Luke waited a beat before taking it, rising to his feet. Their palms slipped away as Ezra keyed open the door.

Luke followed him through the halls and towards the cargo area, the Ghost undergoing docking checks. Everyone arrived before them, and they focused on Luke as if ready to say something.

Luke already knew where it was going, but he was grateful the guards decided to open the Ghost ramp before anything could be said.

When the lowered ramp revealed Queen Soruna herself, Luke beamed at the surprise. Despite her hardened exterior behind the traditional makeup and dark dresses, Queen Sosha Soruna was a wonderful woman.

Luke descended the ramp first, followed closely by Ezra, whose expression softened at the sight of the Queen.

The Queen’s handmaidens and guards watched in unconcealed shock as she happily embraced Luke and Ezra in turn.

“How lovely to see you both back so soon,” she said warmly.

“It’s great to be back, Your Highness,” Luke said genuinely.

“If you call me Your Highness,” Queen Soruna teased, “I get to call you Prince.”

The Ghost crew behind them recoiled intensely.

“We’ll skip formalities,” Luke decided. He proceeded to introduce the Ghost crew, who schooled their expressions upon realizing they spent a week escorting Nubian royalty.

“If you’ll follow me to the palace,” Queen Soruna said, “you have guests, Luke.”

Luke rolled his eyes, knowing it could only be his friends.

As guards flanked them, they began the short walk across Theed, the palace a sprawling jewel in the midst of sunset surroundings.

“Colonel Syndulla,” the Queen said, Hera on her opposite side, “you won’t need to worry about the cargo ship. One of my men found it illegally docked near the palace, and it has been transported back to base.”

“Why are we here, then,” Hera asked, “Your Majesty?”

They ascended the stairs to the palace, and Queen Soruna replied, “General Mothma insisted on throwing a celebratory party tonight. I was more than happy to oblige the request.”

The palace doors were swung open by the guards, revealing the reception hall. Luke sensed his sister was nearby, as was Han, Chewbacca, and the droids.

“Whoa,” Sabine whispered in awe.

Queen Soruna lead them to the end of the hall, and she looked up. Luke followed her gaze, and his eyes widened.

“I decided to move your mother’s portrait,” Queen Soruna said.

Luke smiled up at his mother in her queenly garb. The Ghost crew recoiled again a pace behind him, and a piece of him enjoyed keeping them on their toes.

Ezra always did say he was vexing.

“It’s a nice spot,” Luke said, his tone delicate and breezy. 

“The other one is outside the dining hall,” the Queen said. “Have you seen it?”

“Leia sniffed it out relatively quickly,” Luke replied. “It’s hard to miss a painting of someone who looks exactly like you.”

Queen Soruna emitted a single chuckle. “I can only imagine.”

She began to lead the group down the reception hall and towards the guest area. “I cleared out the area so you can all stay the night. I’m sure they’ll be to your liking.”

The same hallway they had stayed in for negotiations was indeed cleared, and Luke could sense some of the rooms were taken.

Queen Soruna spun and faced Luke. “If you need anything before tonight, I’ll be in the throne room.”

“Thanks, Sosha,” Luke said with a grin.

They kissed cheeks, the Queen waving to Ezra before flouncing back the way she came.

One of the doors slid open, and Artoo rolled out of it, Threepio arguing in rapid Basic.

“I don’t understand how you have that point of view, Artoo. It’s simply crude!”

Artoo beeped a retort, his dome head flicking to the side.

At the sight of Luke, Artoo’s tone changed into one of pure joy, his rocket thrusters carrying him as fast as possible towards Luke.

Upon hearing his frantic beeps of elation, Luke chuckled and knelt down. “Hey, bud.”

Artoo whirred a statement along the lines of ‘thank the stars you’re back. Threepio is driving me insane!’

“Oh,” Luke said amusedly, “Threepio isn’t so bad.”

Artoo nearly reeled back scandalously at the statement.

“Master Luke!” Threepio finally reached his destination. “I’m ever so glad you’re back. I’m the only sane being on this planet.”

As if making his point, Chewbacca stepped out of an adjacent room with Han in his arms, who was making frantic hand motions at someone.

Chewbacca made it to the other end of the wall, and Luke learned it could only be Leia that Han was arguing with the second before she appeared.

“I said no bets!” Leia hissed, trying to be quiet but her voice echoing through the hall anyway. “Absolutely none at all, and now I hear-”

Chewbacca saw them and cut Han’s upcoming tirade off with a yowl.

Han was swiveled to the side in Chewbacca’s bridal carry, and Leia’s anger disappeared into the Force like discarding trash.

“Luke!” She exclaimed joyfully, the hole missing in Luke’s heart being filled by her hug.

Luke hated to admit it, but a piece of him was always gone when Leia wasn’t around.

Luke nearly staggered with the force of her body crashing against him, and he lifted her an inch off the ground. 

The two were stuck in their own world for a few beats, Leia saying into his shoulder, “I missed you more than I thought I would.”

“Aw,” Luke set his sister on the ground, “can’t say the same.”

Leia punched his arm hard. “Rude!”

Luke beamed, and Leia pulled Ezra into a hug.

“How’s our boy doin’?” Leia muffled into Ezra’s shoulder.

“Fine,” Ezra promised.

Leia leaned back, and Luke found himself tugged into a quick hug by Han and Chewbacca.

The Wookiee looked ready to lift Luke, but he said, “not now, buddy. Maybe you can carry me around at the party.”

Han laughed, patting Luke’s shoulder. “That would be somethin’, wouldn’t it?”

Luke asked abruptly, “what were you two going on about? Same old bantha shit?”

“Basically,” Han said.

“You’re not even married yet. Pace yourselves.”

Leia shot Han a look as he grinned at Luke’s joke. “Never mind that.” She hooked an arm around his elbow. “We’re need to talk alone.”

She dragged Luke away, Luke shrugging at Ezra and Han. Ezra shrugged back, gathering up the Ghost crew, who he forgot was lingering in the background.

————

Leia slid open the fresher door in the bedroom she shared with Han, Luke twiddling his thumbs as he waited.

Leia appeared wearing a crimson gown, cut low down her chest and slit up her thighs. She frowned uncomfortably and said, “I already know this one isn’t me.”

“Did you tell Queen Soruna your preferences?” Luke asked, watching too-long fabric catch against Leia’s bare feet.

“Yes,” Leia said, disappearing back behind the door, “but she went with more risqué options than was strictly necessary.”

“Maybe she’s trying to tell you something,” Luke suggested.

Leia snorted, and they were silent for a moment.

She reappeared wearing a floral sundress, all yellows and oranges. She made a face in the mirror and said, “I feel like a shuura fruit.”

Luke laughed. “You look like a basket of shuuras, not just one.”

Leia rolled her eyes and went back into the fresher. Another moment passed, and she stepped out of the fresher beaming.

The dress was to her specifications, a high neckline and sheer sleeves, the fabric going to her knees. The fabric was lakewater blue, and moved with the air.

“This is the one,” she said, checking herself out in the mirror. “Right?”

“Sure.”

Leia shot him a look. “You’re supposed to be my sensitive supportive brother, helping me choose an outfit.”

“Leia,” Luke said pointedly, “you picked out most of my clothes, since I don’t care about style.”

“But do you like what I found for you?”

“Oh,” Luke smiled, “of course I do. And you look great.”

“Thank you.” Leia plopped down on the couch beside him, and asked, “how has it been?”

Luke sighed. “I don’t wanna get into it, Leia.”

“I want you to,” Leia encouraged, clasping his hand. “You can tell me anything. We’re in this together.”

“It’s been like riding a wave, I guess,” Luke said hesitantly. “Sometimes they’re fine with me, other times I do something and they avoid me.”

Leia, for once in her life, couldn’t seem to grasp for the words. She never had to deal with this, since Han had no family left, and the twins only had each other.

“We’ll see how it goes tonight,” Leia finally said.

————

Ezra waited outside the bedroom door, unsure what exactly he was in for.

He didn’t expect Han to slip into the hallway and hold out his arms. “Look at me, Ezra!” He motioned to his clothes, which Ezra noticed were an actual button-up dress shirt and slacks, tucked in and belted together. “Look what I did for love!”

Ezra clutched his stomach and cackled against the wall. He couldn’t believe how much he missed the Falcon crew. They were as encoded into his being as the Ghost crew now, and if he weren’t laughing, he would feel caught between two worlds.

Han reached him, observing Ezra’s own dress pants and black dress shirt. It shone like silk in the light, and Ezra felt as if he should be a server, not a guest.

“Good for you,” Ezra said, finally ending his laughing fit.

“You too, I guess,” Han said, leaning against the same wall as Ezra. “Still in there, huh?”

Ezra looked at the door on his opposite side. “Probably being diabolical, cooking up some schemes.”

“No doubt,” Han said. “Your little crew is already at the party.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t wanna join them?”

“Not exactly,” Ezra admitted. “I’d rather stay here.”

Han narrowed his eyes, oddly perceptive. “Must be hard being torn.”

Ezra smiled bitterly. “It’s their issue, not mine. And they’re trying.”

“Well,” Han said, “good luck with that.”

The bedroom door slid open, and the two swiveled their heads towards the twins.

They were cut from the same cloth, Leia in a gray-blue dress, Luke in a powder blue button-up and gray slacks. Ezra thought they were each one-half of the moon, their skin glowing from the light.

“Wow,” Han breathed, Leia locking their arms together. Han completely lost his bravado, and Luke stifled a laugh.

“Thanks,” Leia said, “I know.”

Han gaped, and Leia cackled in the Force as he lead her away numbly.

Ezra faced Luke and murmured, “hello, angel of Iego.”

Luke bit down a smile. “Hello, cocktail server number five.”

Ezra snort-laughed, and while he always found it unattractive, Luke’s smile meant it was the exact opposite to him.

“I thought the same thing when I put the shirt on,” Ezra breathed. “I’ll admit that.”

Luke started down the hall, and Ezra fell into step beside him. His heart skipped when he caught Luke’s eyes observing him affectionately, and he felt impossibly light.

“You know you’re beautiful,” Luke said softly, “right?”

Ezra tilted his head sharply as the words hit him, and he found himself out of breath. He nearly lost his pacing, but he remembered himself just in time.

How did Luke know what he needed to hear when he needed to hear it?

Ezra never found himself particularly appealing. But having the so-called Angel of Iego’s attention meant something important.

Ezra thought absently about his cheekbone scars, immediately seeking to find his flaws. Luke never cared about the scars, and Ezra sometimes forgot they were there, a mark on his skin that reminded him of his fragility. If Luke could pay no mind to them, he could learn to do the same. He could find the qualities in himself that Luke loved.

He focused on the morning before they entered the Ghost. It was the morning Ezra surprised Luke with his new X-wing, and an image had burned into his mind ever since.

Ezra was sitting on Luke’s thighs, and Luke was gazing up at him. It was a look that encompassed every emotion Luke felt towards him in that moment. Annoyance at being woken up early. Innocent affection towards Ezra in general. Natural playfulness with the aim of getting Ezra to kiss him.

And most importantly, the desire to delay everything, if only for a few moments, in order to get Ezra back under the sheets.

Ezra was rarely looked at that way, and it was intoxicating to see it in Luke’s eyes, above all others.

Ezra pursed his lips in thought, and finally said quietly, “I’m working on it.”

Luke nodded softly, not pressing him for any more information.

They reached the reception hall, and quite a few heads turned at their entrance. They glanced at each other imperceptibly, then separated, with the assurance they would realign the stars later.

————

Despite Leia being the belle of the ball, how she managed to sneak into the wine cellar was a mystery to Ezra.

He left the hall because it was too stuffy, and he needed to breathe. He soon sensed Leia’s Force signature and followed it to the wine cellar near the kitchens.

He waited for her in the shadows when she came out carrying one of the most expensive wines in the galaxy.

He stepped out of the shadow, and Leia gasped. “Ezra!” She took a steadying breath. “Don’t do that!”

Ezra smiled innocently. “Have I just caught a princess stealing?”

Leia smirked. “Han’s not a very good influence.” As if needing to explain herself, she said, “there’s a bunch of these bottles laying around. They won’t miss one.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Ezra said with a shrug. He glanced at a cabinet of unused glasses and opened it.

“Ezra,” Leia hissed.

Ezra smiled brightly, procuring glasses so soundlessly that Leia was a tad impressed.

“You really were a thief,” Leia said incredulously.

Ezra hummed, handing her a wine glass. “Let’s try this expensive wine. I wanna know if it’s worth the credits.”

“They usually aren’t,” Leia said, but it didn’t deter her from using the Force to open the bottle.

Ezra’s eyes jumped gleefully as Leia poured their glasses. The wine was blood red and smelled like Corellian spice.

As if sensing the spices from his home planet, Han slipped into the hall. He halted for a beat upon seeing the scene before him, then asked, “you’re getting the Corellian wine open without inviting me?”

“I was about to get you, dude,” Ezra insisted. “Swear on my saber.”

Ezra extended a shoulder brush through the Force, and knew Luke was on the way.

Once Leia noticed Ezra sneak two more glasses from the cabinet, she furrowed her brows. “Wait a minute-” She paused, then exhaled, “oh.”

Luke entered the hallway, quirking up an amused eyebrow at the sight. “Is this where the real party is now?”

“You bet,” Ezra said, their fingers brushing as Luke received a wine glass. 

They watched as Leia poured Han a full glass of wine, and he said happily, “you get me, sweetheart. Love you.”

He tipped back the glass, and Leia rolled her eyes to detract from a blush.

“Shouldn’t we toast or something?” Luke asked, watching Leia pour him a half-glass of wine.

“To what? Stealing?” Leia scoffed. “No.”

Luke’s brow shot up. “So we’re stealing now?”

Leia grinned, and Luke turned to Ezra.

“Don’t give me that,” Ezra said with a laugh. “I didn’t help.”

“Except for the cabinet,” Leia chimed.

Ezra sighed deeply. “Leia. Why?”

Leia chuckled, sipping her wine.

Luke merely rolled his eyes at Ezra. “I’ll give you this one.”

————

After Luke endured several ballroom dances with Leia, the Ghost crew seized their chance. Leia was now dancing with Han, who surprisingly didn’t have two left feet anymore. Ezra was devouring the food table with Chewbacca, leaving Luke relatively unoccupied for the first time all night.

“Luke,” Sabine beamed, wearing a more feminine version of a suit, “you seem to be popular here, huh?”

“I guess so. You look great,” he said genuinely. “Any takers?”

“Nope,” Sabine answered, “but that’s okay.”

“Kid,” Zeb stepped forward, “I can admit when I’m wrong. And I was wrong about you.”

Luke wasn’t expecting this, but he inclined his head to show respect. “Thank you.”

“I wasn’t sure about you,” Hera admitted, “but you’ve proven yourself.”

“I wasn’t trying to,” Luke cut himself off, “never mind.”

“I know,” Kanan said, Luke’s gaze drawing towards the Jedi. “I understand your position. We put you in an impossible one. I’m glad you’re there for Ezra.”

“I’m glad to have met him,” Luke said honestly.

“Luke,” someone hissed.

Luke turned around and gaped. “Wedge?!”

The sight of Luke’s best pilot friend in a suit was positively jarring. It was no wonder he didn’t recognize him sooner.

“Uh huh,” Wedge raised a glass, “I stowed away on Mon’s freighter, buddy boy.”

Luke snorted and raised his own glass. “Good one. But you didn’t think to bring the rest of the squadron?” He clucked his tongue. “They’ll resent you for quite a while.”

“Oh well,” Wedge said with an unbothered shrug. 

Someone caught Wedge’s eye, and Luke followed the motion. The object of Wedge’s affection was Mon’s first officer, a timid Commander who Luke couldn’t remember the name of at the moment.

Luke grinned at Wedge. “You followed a guy here! Kriff!”

Wedge blushed. “Shut up.”

Luke laughed, and as if gravitating towards the melody in the Force, Ezra glided to his side.

“What’s goin’ on?” Ezra asked, Luke nudging his head across from him. Ezra followed the motion, raising a brow. “Wedge? I didn’t even recognize you!”

“Wedge followed a guy here,” Luke whispered conspiratorially.

“No!” Ezra gasped, grinning delightedly at Wedge. “Which guy?”

“The one talking to Mon,” Luke said discreetly.

Ezra glanced towards the opposite side of the reception hall, seeing a familiar man speaking with Mon. “Commander Sampson?”

At the name, Wedge blushed harder, and the couple snickered.

“Ooh,” Ezra teased, “you should talk to him.”

Luke caught the man glance their way, and he hissed, “he looked at you, Wedge!”

“Huh?” Wedge said dazedly. 

Luke’s eyes widened once the man started towards them, and he said to Ezra, “let’s get outta here.”

“But,” Ezra whined, “I wanna spy.”

“No,” Luke admonished.

Luke realized the Ghost crew was lingering nearby, and Sabine snorted at Ezra’s behavior.

Ezra chose to offer a hand, which affronted Luke at the change in demeanor. “Wanna dance?”

Hera and Zeb bristled, and Kanan smiled.

Luke curled his hand around Ezra’s arm. “Sure. Why not?”

————

When Luke didn’t wake up with a pounding headache, he thanked every higher power in the galaxy.

He dipped into the Force, studying Ezra’s calm wavelengths as he slept. He couldn’t remember passing out in their bedroom, but he was glad they didn’t end up in the kitchen or a public space in the palace.

Luke makes sure Leia never forgets the time Han passed out cold on a kitchen counter once, cradling a whiskey bottle like a tooka doll.

Luke stretched and yawned, sitting up and checking the time. Two hours until they had to return to their ships.

He glanced down absently, realizing he managed to slip off his dress pants and belt before he fell unconscious. He was left in socks, boxers, and his wrinkled blue dress shirt, one button left undone at his collarbone. His shirt, left untucked, was long enough to reach the bottom of his boxers, and he snorted at how ridiculous he must look in a mirror.

Ezra’s wavelength shifted, and Luke’s brain almost short circuited.

Ezra had managed to relieve himself of more clothing items, lying there in boxers and his black dress shirt. The shirt was unbuttoned all the way, the sleeves covering his arms and not much else, his olive-skinned torso shining in a streak of sunlight from the window.

His feathery eyelashes fluttered, and Luke was paralyzed as they opened.

“Any particular reason why you’re staring at me?” Ezra asked, his voice thick and honeyed from tiredness.

When Luke didn’t answer immediately, Ezra turned so his cheek rested against the pillow. 

“Hm?” He prompted.

The bed shifted as Luke moved thoughtlessly, Ezra’s gaze trailing after him as he cast a leg around Ezra’s waist. Luke sat on Ezra’s thighs, Ezra’s dark blue eyes blown wide as he looked up.

“You know why,” Luke breathed.

Ezra’s chest collapsed in a shaky exhale, and he said, “c’mere.”

Luke moved his legs to align with Ezra’s, leaning down until their foreheads touched.

Ezra’s lips brushed against his, and Luke matured the press, closing his eyes and surrendering himself. He could feel Ezra do the same, and Luke was soon kissing back a dazed smile.

Luke turned away briefly, murmuring, “have a headache?”

“No,” Ezra said. “You?”

“No.”

“Huh.” Ezra’s lips caught the corner of Luke’s mouth.

“We do have time,” Luke revealed slyly.

Ezra inhaled sharply, gaze flickering towards Luke’s as much as he was able.

“Oh, Luke,” Ezra breathed, “I love you more than I originally planned.”

“Good,” Luke said coyly, silencing Ezra with a dizzying kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated!


End file.
